An early-morning report of gunshots and trespassing has since produced what authorities are calling Oahu’s first felony-level arrest under the state of Hawaii’s recently-minted “Duke’s Law.”
It was a Saturday morning in late July that a ranch owner contacted the state’s Department of Law Enforcement after hearing a volley of gunshots and then spotting a group of hunters chasing game on a private property without the required permission. Linking up with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, DLE investigators responded quickly and ended up with four suspects in handcuffs including a 24-year-old Waianae man, a 19-year-old man, a 20-year-old woman, and a 17-year-old girl.
The focus of the investigation revoled around the 24-year-old who was arrested on suspicion of prohibited hunting on private lands without the landowner’s permission—the core offense elevated under Duke’s Law. He was processed and released pending further investigation, as authorities noted that additional illegal hunting, firearms, and trespassing charges remain possible against him and the others as the case develops.
“They were caught trespassing on a private ranch,” said Ernest Robello, deputy director of administration for the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement. “They were equipped with rifles and they were in the process of hunting on this private property without proper permits.”
The arrest marks the first time the 2025 statute—formally Act 235 and commonly known as Duke’s Law—has been used for a felony hunting case on Oahu. The law was named for Cranston “Duke” Pia, a 39-year-old Makaha rancher who was shot and killed on his own property back in February 2024 while confronting a trespassing hunter. Pia’s death, which just so happened to have occurred in front of his mother, galvanized lawmakers and agricultural communities frustrated by repeated illegal hunting, livestock losses, and confrontations on private land.
Governor Josh Green signed the measure into law last year and strengthened penalties for agricultural crimes, all while creating a dedicated agricultural-enforcement pilot program within the Department of Law Enforcement focused on Oahu and Hawaii Island. The program includes new investigator and patrol positions plus technology such as drones equipped with thermal imaging, cameras, and loudspeakers to locate trespassers across large properties.
What the Law Actually Does
Before Duke’s Law came into fruition, hunting on private land without permission was generally treated as a misdemeanor offense. Now with the new law in place, the statute elevates prohibited hunting on private agricultural lands and ranches to a much more serious Class C felony.
For a first offense, the potential penalties can include up to five years in prison, a mandatory minimum of 180 days of incarceration (or a probation sentence that still requires at least 180 days behind bars) and the possibility of the forfeiture of firearms, vehicles, hunting animals, and other property used in the offense
The law also reinforces that hunters must obtain explicit permission from the landowner or authorized agent before entering private property, while strengthening tools for landowners to report violations anonymously through a dedicated agricultural crime tip line.
“If you have a hunting license and you don’t have permission to be there, I consider you a poacher,” said Roy Kainoa, president of the Pig Hunters Association of Oahu. “If you didn’t get permission, you shouldn’t be there.”
For the moment, the West Oahu case remains in its early stages. No final charges have been filed, and the investigation remains ongoing. But the fact that DLE and DLNR treated it as a priority under the new felony statute states the obvious fact that enforcement priorities have shifted.
“Saturday’s arrest is believed to be the first felony arrest on O‘ahu made under Duke’s Law”, said Robello. “The DLE would also like to thank the officers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources who also responded to the rancher’s call and provided DLE assistance during the investigation”.
